Saddle girth



July 24, 1928.

w. l?. HuLBER-r SADDLE GIRTH Filed NGV. 9, 1927 neath'a iflap at oneside of the saddle.

Patented July 24, 1928.

UNITED :STATES PATENT orifice.

WILLIAM r. HnLBnR'r, or MIDDLEBURG, vrnemrn.

SADDLE GIRTH.

Application led November 9, 1927. Serial No. 232,066.

This linvention relates to saddle girths and has for its chief objecttoY producea saddle girth to which thedevices, such as buckles,

whereby the ends ofthe girth are secured to the billets carried by thesaddle are so attached te thegirth that, when, after a horse hasbeensaddled 'and ridden for la short distance, it becomes necessary totighten the gi'rtlnonly one of such securing devices need be ladjustedon its associated ybillet to properly tighten. the girth.A

yA further object of the 4invention is to so con-structfa saddle girththat, when the'billetengaging .devices carried by one end of the girthare in engagement with the billets at one side of a "saddle, the tensionexerted -by said billets upon their associated billet-engaging deviceswill'be equally distributed between the latter. j

The mostsatisfactory type of saddle girth is that which has at each endtwo or `more billet-engaging devices, such as buckles, each pair `ofwhich devices is engageable with a pair )of rthe billets carried `by thesaddleieut in using such a girth it is necessary that the buckles orother billet-engaging devices be secured to the billets at substantiallyequal distances :from the points of` attachment Aof such :billets to thesaddle in order tosecure a :proper 'litof thesaddle, :since if one ofthe billet-engagingdevices engages its associated billet ata'greaterdistance from the point of attachment (of such billet to the saddle thanthe rother billet-engaging device engages its associated billet, unequaltension willk be ex-y erted upon the girth adjacent its opposite edges,which may permit the saddle to slightly shift Ion the back of the horseat each 'movement `ofthe horse and thus pro- `duce sores upon the backyof the horse.

Vihen 'a horse yis first lsaddled he usually resists the'tightening ofthe girth by expanding his diaphgram, and this makes it difiicult,iffnot impossible, to 'draw the girth as tight as itshould vbe in orderto secure a proper lit of 'the saddle.` But after a short time itbecomes possible to draw the girth tighter in order to more firmlysecure the saddle in place rand thus prevent it :from shitting.Accordingly, the rider usually, aiterfriding ak short time, attempts todraw the girth tighter without dismounting. This hedoesfby lifting theflap at one side of theisaddle-and 'pulling `up first on one billet andthen upon the other in 4order to `cause ythe billet-engaging devices`which are connected to the girth to engage the billets at point-s.nearer to the points of attachment of the billets to the saddle. ButWhere the horse is spirited or 4has become restive it yis often5diiiicult to adjust both billet-engaging erence to the accompanyingdrawing, where` `Figure l is a perspective view of kone side of a saddlehaving the girth of the present invention attached thereto, vthe sideflap of thefsaddle being lshown as r`raised to disc'lose `thegirtlrsecuring devices; and

Figure 2 lis -a lperspective view of a lcompletelsaddle girth "embodyingthe invention. n `Referring to the drawing in detail, 1-designates asaddle having the usual side flaps EUC:

2, which overlic the usual billet straps for f engagement by .thesecuring devices carried by 4the girth -5. In Figure l the saddle isshowngas vprovided with y.two such billet straps 3 and 4 and the flap 2`is shown ias,

raised to expose said .straps.

Saddles .are usually provided withy two or more billet -straps at yeach-side thereof, as is contemplated :in the present instance.

The gir-th of the present invention 'is pro` vided, preferably at eachend, with 'a pair of devices, here shown as buckles 6 and 7, forengagement, respectively, with thebillet straps 3 land 4 of the saddlein order to 4'attach the girth ito the saddle and to kprovide means fortightening the girth. The buckles 6 and 7 are adjustable longitudinallyof the ybillets 3 and 4, as by engagement with the holes 8 in Vthelatter. The buckles 6 and 7 are 'not connected directly with the girthas heretofore, but lare carried by flexible means 11 which, in turn, isconnected to the girth so as to permit movement of the bucklesrelatively to one another and to `the girth. Such iexible Ameans visshown as a strap 11 which has its opposite ends lll- 14' connected toeach end of the girth adjacent the'opposite edges of the latter andwhich lil extends and is slidable through the rear loops 9 and l0 of thebuckles 6 and 7. The strap 1l also extends and is slidable through aloop l2 which is secured to the end of the girth between the points ofattachment of the ends of the strap thereto. In the present instance,the loop 12 is shown as rectangular in shape in order that the strap mayslide freely through one end thereof and as secured to the girth bymeans of a strap 13 passing through its rear end and stitched to thegirth, as at l5.

In the construction just described, the buckles may be said to befloatably carried by the girth, that is to say, if oner of the buckles,for example, the buckle 6, is not in engagement with a billet, and apull is exerted upon the other buckle 7, such pull will exert tensionvupon the strap which will draw the strap l1 through the loop 12 and alsothrough the rear loop 9 of the buckle 6. This will draw the buckle 6toward the end of the girth. `l3nt if the buckles 6 and 7 are inengagement, respectively, with the billets 3 and l and one of saidbuckles is moved upon its associated billet to engage the latter at apoint closer to the point of attachment of such billet to the saddle,this will draw the strap 11 through the loop 12 and also through therear loop of the other buckle to permitsuch movement. In this way thetension exerted upon one of said buckles in tightening the girth will betransmitted to the other buckle and to the billet engaged by the latter.Therefore, if the rider, after having saddled and mounted his horse,wishes to tighten the girth, he may lift the flap 2 and draw one of thebillets 3 or Il a greater distance through its associated buckle 6 or 7so as to cause said buckle to engage its associated buckle at a pointcloser to the saddle and thus cause the other buckle to exert greatertension on itsl associated billet. Thus the tension exerted upon thegirth by the billets 3 and t will be substantially equalized byadjusting one of the buckles on its associated billet without its beine`necessary to readjust the other buckle on its associated billet.

Although the girth has been shown as having each of its ends providedwith billet-engaging means embodying the invention, it is -obvious thatthe o'irth may have a pair of billet-engaging buckles secured directlythereto in the ordinary way and be provided at the other end with thebillet-engaging means of the invention,

Wlhile l have shown and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is to be understood that such changes or variations may bemade therein as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim l. The combination with a riding saddle having a plurality ofbillets, and a girth having a plurality of buckles', one to each billet,of an equalizing means connected directly to and connecting all of thebuckles to the girth, whereby when the respective buckles and' billetsare connected and any pair of the respective buckles and billets aretightened, the strain therefrom will be equalized upon all of thebuckles and billets.

2. The combinationwith a riding saddle and a girth, of a connectingmedium between the two, including a plurality of cooperat-` ing strapsand buckles, and an equalizing means slidably connecting all of thebuckles, whereby when all of the straps and buckles are connected andone strap is tightened, the strain therefrom will be equalized betweenthe girth and saddle between the straps and buckles.

3. The combination with a riding saddle and a girth, of a connectingmedium between the two, including two straps and two buckles, and athird strap slidably connected to said buckles and to the girth, wherebywhen all of the straps and buckles are connected and one strap istightened, the strain therefrom will be equalized upon all of thebuckles.

4t. The combination with a riding saddle and a girth, of a connectingmedium between the same, including two straps and two buckles, and athird strap having its terminals attached to either member to beconnected, and having the two buckles strung thereupon between theterminals, whereby when all of the straps and buckles are connectedandone strap is tightened, the strain therefrom will be equalizedthrough all of the buckles. i

5. A saddle and girth connecting device, including two straps, twobuckles and a third strap, the buckles being strung on the third strapwhich forms a flexible attach ing means for the. buckles and having itsends fast to the opposite member to the two straps, whereby when all ofthe straps and buckles are connected and one strap is tightened, thestrain is equalized upon all of the buckles.

6. The combination with a saddle and girth, of a connection between thetwo, including two billets carried by the saddle, two

buckles, a strap having its two ends Vconnected to the girth, and a loopattached to the girth between the strapl ends, said strap being slidablymounted through the loop and also through the buckles, whereby when thebuckles are engaged to the billets the tightening of either one of thebillets produces a strain to be equalized through the two billets, theloops, and buckles.

7. The combination with a saddle and girth, of a connection between thetwo, including two billets carried by the saddle, two buckles, a. straphaving its two terminals connected to the girth and its interme diateportion strung through the buckles so that the buckles are slidablymounted thereon, and a loop attached to the girth between the terminalsof the strap, said strap being slidably mounted through the loop and theloop disposed between the buckles.

S. rlhe combination with a saddle and girth7 of a connection between thetwo, including two billets carried by the saddle, two buckles` a straphaving its two terminals connected in spa-ced relation to the girth, anda loop attached to the girth between the terminals of the strap, saidstrap being threaded through one knuckle, theV loop and the neXtbucklein the formation of a spiral, whereby when either one of the billets istightened respectively to one of its buckles the peculiar threading ofthe strap through the knuckles and loop will produce an equalization ofpull upon the girth regardless of the positions of the buckle upon whichthe adjusting strain is placed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

VILLIAM P. HULBERT.

